Improvement in treadles



H. REESE. lTREADLE.

No. 180,066'. Patented J'u1y18, 18.7'6. A

N.PETERS, FHOTOJTHOGRAPMR. WASHINGTON, D. C.

, Td'rirrTEn STATES PATENT vEEICE.

EENRYEEESE, ou BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN TR EADLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 80,066, dated July 18, 1876; application tiled March 20, 1876.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY REESE, ot' Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented a new and Improved Treadle; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the simple form of treadle, Fig. 2,- a side View of the saine; Fig. 3, a plan view, showing the continuous foot-rests; Fig. 4, a side view of the same; Fig. 5, a side view of the weighted independent treadle; Fig. 6, an end view ot' the saine. Figs. 7 and 8 are, respectively, a plan and side view, showing my foot-rests applied to a detachable plate for attachment to any form ot treadle already in use.

My inventionrelates to an improvement in that class of` treadles in which independent foot-rests or secondary treadles are employed upon opposite sides ofthe fulcrum for obviating;` the tiresome strain upon the ankle-joint.

The invention consists, first, in a raised sup. port, with au arcshaped face, upon which the instep ot' the i'oot rests, and upon which a-rcshaped face the sole of the shoe becomes the independent treadle turning upon the curved face as a pivot. It also consistsin a pivoted independent treadle, having pendent weights, which hold the secondary treadle or footrest always in a horizontal position.

In the drawing, A represents the arc-shaped facesforiningtheindependent treadles. These arc-shaped faces are connected through a raised support, B, with the base of the main treadle, and may be arranged singly, so that the feet are not interchangeable, as in Figs. l and 2, or may be made continuous in direction transverse to the main treadle, as in Figs. 3 and 4, in which event either foot may be placed forward and interchanged at pleasure.

In constructing these foot-rests A their faces are made arc-shaped or curved in' transverse direction, so as to allow the sole ot' the shoe to turn upon the same, and remain always in an easy horizontal position. With this arrangement the sole ofthe shoe operates as the independent treadle, and the arc-shaped foot-rest performs the part ot' the pivot. In constructing the supports B for the rests, it is necessary that they should project a sufcient distance above thc main plate to prevent tlie said plate from striking the horizontally-maintained foot of the operator, as the said plate oscillates vertically and changes its angle with respect to a horizontal plane.

Figs. 5 and 6 show another form of ind-ependent treadle. In this case, instead ot' having the rigid and large exposed pivotrests for the foot,- as shown in the preceding tigures, the pivot is made smaller and a detachable plate, A', placed thereon. The said plate oscillates upon its pivots, but is main` tained in the saine position with respect to a horizontal plane by pendent weights a, which, from the action oil gravity, render the position ofthe pivoted plate A' independent ot' the movement of the main treadle.

To enable me to attacn my form ot' treadle, as thus described, to any ordinary treadle in use, such as are empl'oyed upon sewingmachines or other light-running mechanism, l have shown, in Figs. 7 and the independ ent treadles or foot-rests attached to a plate, which is provided withv bolt-holes, or other equivalent means of attachment, whereby my improved form ot' treadle may be applied to treadles already -in use, without 'alteration or injury to the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new isl. rI he coml'iination, with the main treadleplate, of elevated curved-t'acedt'oot-rests A, adapted to loperate as pivots beneath the shank or instep ot1 the shoe, as described.

2. The independent treadle A', having the center ot' gravity below the pivot., in combination with the support B of the main treadle, upon which it is pivoted, as and for the purpose described.

. HENRY REESE.

Witnesses:

JN0. E. REEsE, Jr., F. RMANAHAN. 

